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The supple secrets of ...

The UK Registration System

("Supple Secrets" is an allusion to a 60s bumper sticker issued by Michelin advertising their Michelin X tyre. It read "I've learnt the supple secrets of X". It didn't take long before the less subtle amongst us got a second sticker cut out the "se" from "secrets" and inserted it before the "X" of the first sticker).

August 2008

A rare improvement in service to the customer? Those renewing their Road Tax from 1st September 2008 can now do so from the fifth day of the preceding month, rather than waiting until the 15th day as before. Of benefit to people on holiday - for a couple of weeks anyway. Note those retaxing after a break can still only do so two days before the end of the preceding month. April 2008

Punitive car tax increases from 2009 for anything emitting over about 170 gm/km of CO2. Not only that, but it's being applied retrospectively to all cars registered since 2001 when CO2 grading was introduced. Middle of the road (ho ho) family cars are going to be hardest hit in terms of numbers and cost/performance terms - like a 2001 1400cc Astra graded at 173 gm/km! My ZS finds itself in the top-most band but one (by 2 grams!) but anyone driving a Lamborghini, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Bentley of even a Hummer will only pay Ł25 more! This is all about revenue, not about environment. This is going to hit the resale values of a huge number of cars, and as for most people that goes a long way towards the purchase price of a replacement I suspect that many won't be able to afford a newer more ecological car anyway, but will be forced to buy something earlier than 2001. Either that, or there will be a sudden increase in theft and burning of cars of a certain age. And what about insured values? Are they going to suddenly drop along with the resale value?

December 2006

Yet more 'big brother', this time in the form of electronic number plates or chipped tax discs. Supposedly to fight crime (although what prevents the theft and fitting to another vehicle of your number plate with an electronic chip any more than one without I don't know) it is more likely to do with road pricing and charging you according to when and where you drive.

April 2005

An online DVLA service is available if you want to apply for a tax disc, declare SORN, see if your old MG is still on the road. This last allows you to enquire as to the current road tax/licence status of any vehicle, which also happens to allow you to check the status of any vehicle you suspect of being used unlicensed or bearing a fake licence disc. See Vehicle Licensing Online and click on 'Vehicle Enquiry'. Update August 2006: Note that to buy a tax disc online you must have had the new style MOT (where applicable) at some point so they can check their own database for a current certificate and they will check if the vehicle is currently insured from the Motor Insurers Information Centre database. Note also there is a Ł2.50 charge for paying for a tax disc by credit card, but not if you use a debit card.

Go here if you want to report an unlicensed vehicle online, or ring 08000 325 202.

February 2005

Another potential pitfall for classic owners is the Government's proposed 'Continuous Enforcement of Motor Insurance Requirements'. This will make it an offence to have a car registered but not insured unless SORN has been declared. So if you take your car off the road and cancel your insurance or let it run out without renewing, but the tax still has some time to run you run the risk of a Ł100 fixed penalty fine or Ł1000 if you ignore the fixed penalty notice.

November 2004

Rumours abound that our illustrious government are proposing to charge us for the privilege of simply owning a car even if it is kept off road and has been so for many years. The charge would be an annual registration fee of Ł4.50 per vehicle, which as an amount you may think is neither here nor there, but once introduced there will be nothing to stop it being raised to a much higher level. The potential effect on museum and private collections doesn't bear thinking about.

There is information on a petition against this at the FBHVC site but I think the chances of the government changing their minds once the policy has been considered and published as a consultation paper is slim to non-existent.

One curious feature is that whilst other new and amended driver and vehicle charges mentioned by the FBHVC are listed in this DVLA Consultation Document there is no mention (that I can see) of this annual registration fee. An official leak to gauge public reaction?

1st January 2004

Some people seem to be getting hot under the collar and paranoid about the new Car Tax Rules:

You still can't keep or use a vehicle on the road unless it is displaying a valid tax disc.
You can still buy a tax disc up to two weeks before the start of the month if renewing without a gap or two days before if there has been a gap.
You can still buy one up to the 15th of the month backdated to the first of the month, but you can't keep or use the vehicle on a public road in the meantime.
If you make a SORN declaration you must renew it annually or buy a tax disc.
You can still travel to and from an MOT station for the purposes of a pre-arranged MOT test without displaying a current tax disc i.e. if you had previously made a SORN declaration and now want to put the car back on the road or you took it off the road before 31st January 1998 and did not need to make a SORN declaration.
You still must have valid and current insurance cover in force before taking it on the road for any purpose including getting an MOT in advance of the tax disc.

The only change is that now people who let the tax run out and don't renew it or return the SORN will be fined automatically after about four to six weeks, instead of having to be caught on the public highway as before. Unfortunately it does nothing about the hundreds of thousands of cars in daily use that are not properly registered and have no tax insurance or MOT, and as such doesn't go far enough IMO.

Owners of cars off the road since before 31st January 1998 don't have to take any action until they next tax the vehicle see above about obtaining an MOT before the tax disc.

You can declare SORN by phoning 0870 240 0010 or taking the relevant form to your local licence issuing Post Office. Don't post it to Swansea, in fact don't post it anywhere as you will have no evidence that you have done so if it gets lost.

December 2002

Three upcoming changes:

From 1st January 2003 number plates can only be obtained from registered suppliers on production of the vehicle's registration document or licence reminder and a photocard driving licence, see the DVLA info. If you don't have a photocard driving licence you have to produce two other forms of identification. Intended to prevent the fitting of false plates to stolen cars, it seems much like banning law-abiding citizens from owning guns in order to prevent gun crime. Even more ridiculously it only applies to England and Wales, you can still buy number plates as before in Scotland or Northern Ireland, or anywhere else for that matter.

From 1st February 2003 you will only be able to obtain a Tax Disc from a Post Office if you present the registration document or the licence reminder, see the DVLA info. This is to prevent 'owners' of cars that have dropped below the radar of the DVLA from buying a Tax Disc. Pre-supposes that such people who probably have such a car to avoid payment of speeding fines etc. want to MOT, insure and tax the vehicle. Me? Cynical? Never!

From 7th April 2003 (why not 1st April, I wonder ...) cars that have been written off or scrapped as a result of an accident and are subsequently repaired must undergo and pass a Vehicle Identity Check before they can be returned to the road. Following that the registration document will carry a note to show the identity has been confirmed. From the same date someone wishing to sell or dispose of a car with significant unrepaired accident damage will have to return the log book to the DVLA, see the DVLA info. Again intended to prevent criminals passing off stolen cars as repaired accident damaged ones, this legislation will have an obvious effect on the buy-back and repair or sale of classics.

September 2001

A new system started in September 2001 and the format is AB 51 EFG. The first two letters indicate where in Britain the vehicle was registered the numbers will indicate the registration half-year, and the final three letters are random. The numbers '51' indicate the 2nd half of 2001. '02' will be the 1st half of 2002, '52' the 2nd half of 2002 etc. After '19' and '59' have been used for 2009 years 2010 to 2019 will use '10' and '60' to '19' and '69' etc up to '49' and '99' for 2049. After that? Well, I don't suppose I shall be around to find out.

Another change on the same date concerns the use of 'black and white' plates instead of reflective. Up until now it has been illegal to use black and white plates on a car registered after 31st December 1972 irrespective of when it was built. From September 2001 the cut-off changes to cars *built* before that date i.e. the same as for free road tax. So my 72-built, 73-registered roadster will then be eligible to wear black and white plates instead of reflective. Well what a much needed change that is! Since my roadster has probably carried reflective plates all its life I shan't be changing.

March 1999

The UK Registration system changes again on 1st March 1999 - instead of only changing the year letter once a year on 1st August, it will now be changed twice a year on 1st March and 1st September. The reason is said to be the bulge that currently occurs on 1st August - apparently 40% of vehicles registrations in a year occur on that one day. Two things intrigue me though: The first is that there are only five usable 'year' letters left which means that a new system will have to be introduced in two and a half years anyway. And the second is that one doesn't buy a new car in March because there is still likely to be snow, ice and salt on the roads, nor September because you might as well wait until January and get the benefit of the newer year, and in January you might as well wait until March to get the kudos of the new letter! Oh well, we shall see.

'Historic' status

A UK car qualifies for 'Historic' status and free Road Tax if it was built (not registered) before 31st December 1972. The BMIHT certificates are accepted as evidence of build date. More info on links below.

One of the most misunderstood parts of the UK Registration system is the so-called "two weeks grace" when the current years tax disc has expired. The DVLA say you have two weeks grace, the Police say you haven't. They are both right, for they are talking about different things.

All tax discs date from the first of the month and the DVLA allows you to purchase a disc anytime from two weeks before to two weeks after the first of the month. But note that if your vehicle is not currently taxed you can only buy a new disc three days before the start of the month and not two weeks.

However!

The Police are quite likely to prosecute you if your vehicle is on the public highway and not displaying a current tax disc. "It's in the post" may not always work.

You see, the DVLA are talking about their rules that relate to the purchase of a disc, whereas the Police are talking about the laws that relate to the use of a vehicle.

Links:

The main DVLA site containing info on the history of marks, the issuing of marks to old and kit cars, obtaining the original number for an old car, import and export issues, and obtaining info on the previous owners of your car.

DVLA sale of marks.

UK Registration Plate info from 1904 to August 2001, from the MG Enthusiasts BBS. Note that the section headed 'DOUBLE LETTER Registration by area' applies to both 2-letter and 3-letter registrations. In the case of the latter the 2nd and 3rd letters indicate the area, the 1st letter being incremented as each block of 999 numbers was used up. 'Q' plates were issued to kit-cars, cars built up using components from a variety of sources, or where the age was otherwise not able to be determined to allow an age-related plate to be issued.

UK Registration Plate info from September 2001 on, from the DVLA.

'MG' and 'UMG' registrations on cars sold by University Motors in the period 1930-1949 from the MG Cars site and an appendix on some specific cars with some history.

The "Historic Vehicle" class from the MG BBS and

"Proving Your Age" from the MG BBS.

A commercial site selling registrations and plates to various styles also includes a search facility to determine where and when a number was issued or if it is unissued.

Classic and modern UK plates

National Registration plates around the world, from Wikipedia.

International country plates, or 'Olavs Ovals'.

Not strictly registrations but which side of the road each country drives on and why from Tex Texin.